The Privateer is the 4th full length from Saginaw, Michigan based three piece The Tosspints. Nothing too different from the band’s last album, Have You Been Drinking? that we reviewed awhile back – maybe a little less of a folk influence to the music though a new nautical theme is found throughout the album. Haven’t heard The Tosspints before then think MC5, Hudson Falcons or even Social D., with a Celtic/Americana influence and as much blue-collar authenticity as the dirt under the nails of a West Virginia coal miner (and even if they do the odd pirate song).

One song I wanted to give a shout out to was the almost sixteen minute long The Privateer and yeah, I remember what I wrote about seventeen minute epics but this is sixteen and is structured like three – with a folk introduction that builds to a rock epic and never drags or sounds self indulgent.

Wanted to give a shout out to the Grinning Beggar and his The Black Shamrock: A Celtic Tribute to Johnny Cash project. Mr Beggar is raising funds to produce the album and it looks like a great project. The final track list has just been announced.

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In celebration of St. Patricks day, The Tosspints are offering their new track “Pirates Life” for free via stream or download. This exclusive and previously unreleased track is an original song from the Michigan based Celtic-Punk trio, and is a sneak preview of their upcoming follow up record to last year’s “Have You Been Drinking?”. “It’s a really fun track, with a great little nautical story about two different guys paths into piracy.” Don Zuzula, guitarist and singer of the band said “We had such a great year in 2013, we wanted to thank our fans and friends with some free music”.

The Tosspints’ style of music has been influenced by 3 lifetimes of living through the school of hard knocks, brought to bear from war, loss, degradation, and hard drinking. A band created entirely by a family who has had to make it through life the hard way and use their experience to create songs about the more distressed side of being human.

Made up of brothers Don Zuzula (guitar, vocals), a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and younger brother and Zak Zuzula (bass, vocals), a history teacher, along with drummer John Johnson, they draw from their world experience and working class upbringing in the rust belt city of Saginaw Michigan for their poetically dark yet uptempo songs.

Have You Been Drinking? is the third full-length from The Tosspints, a Celtic-punk band from Saginaw, Michigan, a struggling industrial city that the American dream long ago turned into a nightmare. The Tosspints are two brothers and a drummer, with brother Don a US Army combat veteran and brother Zack a union school teacher, the drummer is John. The music reminds me of the $wingin’ Utter$ but maybe a little more focused on the Celtic influences while the lyrics deal with the experiences of living in the rust belt – working class life, brotherhood, loyalty, the Union and the military and of course boozing and fighting. In all a very impressive release and the band to watch. Highlights include: Genocide is Painless, Your Name, Blood or Whiskey